Eight New Dates (8 новых свиданий) is a 2015 Russian comedy, the sequel to the 2012 Eight First Dates (8 первых свиданий). The film’s director, Marius Weisberg, was also responsible for the romantic comedy trilogy Love in the Big City (Любовь в большом городе).
In the film, Vera, a popular TV host, and Nikita, a kind veterinarian, are a couple who have been married for three years (and who met in the previous film). Their marriage is on the rocks, and they’re on the verge of divorce. They have an argument one day and tell each other what they think a “normal husband” and a “good wife” should be like. The next day, they each wake up in a strange bed—next to their “ideal” partner. Nikita’s new wife is an attractive blonde who loves cooking for him and cleaning the house; Vera’s husband is a businessman who indulges her every whim. Unsurprisingly, their new “ideal” partners do not make them as happy as they would have thought.
The film got average reviews from viewers and decent reviews from critics. Film.ru thought it was far better than its predecessor: the first film was a breezy romantic comedy, but the second was about real problems. It still managed to fulfill its function as a comedy first and foremost, though, the critic concluded. Kino-teatr.ru gave it the high praise of being “not stupid” and occasionally being legitimately funny, apparently in contrast to most Russian popular films. Most reviews seemed to ignore the film’s gender politics, especially its stereotyped notions of what an ideal husband or wife would be.
Director: Marius Vaisberg
Stars: Oksana Akin’shina, Vladimir Zelenskiy, Mikhail Galustyan, Polina Maksimova
Production company: Green Films, GORAD
Box office take: $7.4 million
Official trailer:
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